Vapor-heating system.



L. P'. HYNESl v VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM.`

APPLICATION FILED MAn.15.1s12.

1,245,233. 1 --PatentedN0v.6,1917.

Uivrrnn sin man;

LEE P. HYN ES, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO RAILWAY UTILITY` COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION O'IE ILLINOIS.

VAPOR-HEATING- SYSTEM.

Specication of Letters Patent.

atcnted Nov. 6, 1917.

Application filed March 15, 1912. Serial No. 683,970. l

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE P. I-IYNEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vapor-Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This system of heating is generally employed in connection with the cars of railroad trains in which steam from the engine or other source of supply is distributed throughout the train at a considerable pressure. The train pipe, as the conduit conveying the steam through the train is known, is tapped at suitable intervals for the connection of the radiators, but intermediate each radiator and the train pipe is inserted a reducing valve by which the pressure 'in the radiators is reduced substantiallyto atmospheric pressure. After passing through the radiator, the vapor or low pressure steam is permitted to escape to the outside atmosphere through an outlet arranged below the floor of the car, and in the outlet is arranged a thermostat which is connected up to and controls the` pressure reducing valve. The construction is such that when the steam passing through the outlet is suiciently hot, the thermostat closes the reducing valve, shutting oil3 the supply to the radiator, but when the thermostat cools slightly, it opens the valve a little, permitting more steam to flow into the radiator, which, when it reaches the thermostat, again serves to close the valve. 0f course, the operation of the device is so rapidly intermittent and the move` ment of the valve so slight that steam or vapor pressure is practically constant. In the application of such a system to, for eX- ample, a sleeping car, it is necessary to provide a series of radiators which are individually under dissimilar surrounding conditions and are required to maintain dierent temperatures, thus, separate radiators must be employed for the smoking room and other compartments which the car may contain, and it is practically essential that means be provided forrcgulating the supply of vapor to each of these radiators to control the temperature of the compartment.

communication with the source of steam, save only for the interposed reducing valve.

My invention has for its object the provision of an automatic control for the radiators of a vapor system of heating which meets the conditions set forth above, and it comprises a by-pass connection or shunt .from the pressure reducing'valve to the outlet, across the terminals of the radiators, and a valve controlled by the temperature in the compartment in which the radiator is located, which valve serves to direct the incoming vapor, either through the system of radiating pipes or directly to the outlet, according to the temperature in the compartment. In the accompanying drawings 'and the following detailed description I have set forth a preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention, but it will be understood that the specific structure is disclosed for the purpose of exemplification only, and

that my invention is not limited thereto,

let, .by way of the radiator and by-pass respectively. A broken section of the train pipe conveying steam from the engine is shown at 4, Fig. 1, from which branch pipes 5 and 6 lead tothe radiators of the car. 7' and 8 are strainers to keep. dirt and scale from valve seats. A casing 9 is interposed between the pipe 6 and the radiator .coilv 10, from the outlet opening l1, of which, a pipe 12 leads toward the radiator. The casting 13, which comprises the reducing valve chamber, also includes a chamber 14, into which is tapped at 15 the pipe 16 leading frognfthe radiator, and also the pipe section 17 connected to the outlet casing 18 below the floor of the car. The latter casing incloses a thermostat 19, which is connected by rod 20, bell crank 21 and valve-rod 22 to` the reducing valve 23. As explained in the introductory part. of this specification, when steam is admitted by the reducing valve it circulates through the radiators and heats up the thermostatic member 19 in the out-z let, which in turn tends to close thereducing 'as of the mercury column type.

valve, the thermostatic member acting, when sufliciently cooled by the shutting olii' of the steam supply, to again open the reducing valve. The parts thus far described are old in this art, and I make no claim thereto per se.

Intermediate the reducing valve 9 and the intake 28 of the radiator I interpse a three'- way valve 24, which is connected not only to the reducing valve chamber and radiator, but also to the outlet pipe 16 by means of the by-pass or shunt 25. Referring more particularly to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the valve casing 26 ofA valve 24 is tapped at 27 to receive the radiator inlet pipe 28, at 29 to receive the pipe section l2 from the reducing valve, and at 30 to receive the by-pass 25. The valve casing 26 is formed at 31 and 32 with opposed valve seats, the openings of which communicate with the pipes 10 and 25 respectively, and a valve 33, mounted for vertical reciprocation between the valve seats, controls the flow of steam to the radiator and to the by-pass, and shuts oli' the flow of steam to the'radiator or to the bypass accordingly as it is in its upper or lower position. 'I he valve is controlled electromagnetically by a thermostat, shown at 34, To the valve 33 is secured by means of its valve stem 35 a solenoid core 36, which is inclosed in a chamber 37 opening into the valve chamber and surrounded .by a`solenoid 38,

the coil of which is connected by wires 39 to the battery 40 and to the thermostat above referred to. The solenoid core 36 is preferably formed of soft iron and electro-plated with a non-oxidizing metal, orA otherwise covered to prevent its rusting, and, if desired or found necessary in the particular situation in which the valve is employed, a h

spring 39 of non-rusting metal is interposed I between the upper end of the solenoid and solenoid consists of a cylindrical capsule 40,

preferably of brass or other non-magnetic metal closed at its upper end and tapped into the upper end of the valve casing, as at 41.

The coil ofthe solenoid is wound upon spool 42, also of non-magnetic material and which has a central bore fitting upon the exterior of the core chamber, so that if desired the coil may be removed, as an entirety. The metal ca 43 covers the solenoid and is secured at its lower end, as by screws 44, upon the reduced upper end 45 of the valvechamber, the cap being notched on its lower edge, as at 46, to permit the Ipassage of the wires 39.v VPreferably the mercury column thermostat is adjustable and, as shown, the upper contact consists of one of a series of wires extending through the glass to the bore and connection with which is made by a removable plug 47 connected by a wire 48 with one of the wires 39. By the employment'of the solenoid and core for operating the valve I entirelydispense with the necessity of packing a moving part, the solenoid and spring being entirely inclosed and herthrough the solenoid coil, causing the core and attached valve to be drawn upward, seating the valve and shutting olf the steam from the radiator, and permitting it to flow through the by-pass directly to the outlet chamber. By this means it is possible to automatically and independently regulate the iow of steam in each radiator and hence the temperature of the particular compartment, or part of the car, in which the radiator is located, without in any manner interfering with the operation of the pressure reducin valve.

While in the accompanying drawings and inthe above specific description I have disy closed as an exemplification of myinvention I a heating1 system in which the by-pass containin t e electrically operated valve is arrange immediately adjacent the reducing valve and outlet chamber, it will be understood that theinvention is applicable for the purpose of shuntingl any portion of the radiating system, and in the following claims where I have used the word radiator, it is to be understood to referto any such portion of the radiating system.

I claim:

In a steam car heating system, in combination a, steam supply-pipe, an inlet valve therein, a radiator havin an outlet, a pipe connected to the supply pipe on the radiator let, a valve therein, a thermostat in the car controlling said last named valve, and a thermostat at the outlet controlling said inside of the inlet valve and leading to the out-l let valve' whereby said inlet valve .is controlled by the temperature of the discharge from said radiator and by the temperature of the car. Y

VLEE P. HYNEs.

Witnesses: r

JOHN B. MACAULEY, ROBERT ,DOBBERMAN 

